Wwf Water Stewardship Initiative : The Chemical Industry

a. Size in sales: In 2001, bottled water was among the world’s most attractive beverage categories, with global sales exceeding 32 billion gallons and annual growth averaging nearly 9 percent between 1996 and 2001.

When evaluating the environmental impact of polyethylene we need to take into consideration the input materials, and the amount of energy and emissions/wastes generated by the production processes. Although polyethylene presents fewer environmental hazards than other polymers, its production requires both hydrocarbons and chlorine; chlorine makes plastic’s impact on the environment even greater that it would if only hydrocarbons were required (Frosch & Gallopoulos, 1989). The use of non-renewable resources, chlorine and the energy-intensive nature of the production cycle itself together with the worldwide large-scale production of polyethylene and derivates, approximately 80 million metric tons per year (Piringer & Baner, 2008), make the environmental and human safety impact of polyethylene significant.

The company Eco Water, Inc. was started by Manish Krishna. He started the company to market what came to be the Purity II Naturalizer Water Unit. The Purity II comes from a company called Environmental Control, Inc. Manny’s company, Eco Water, Inc. started off in a very efficient way. Only $20,000 was used to get Eco Water, Inc. going in the right direction. For most, this is very little money to get a company started. By keeping his company manageable with such little overhead, Manny definitely has room for expansion and more sales.

With over 5000 types of plastics, Heather explains that the problem is very complex. As plastic ends up in marine ecosystems it begins to pollute and has massive monetary effects. Marine litter costs Europeans billions annually though cleanup projects, damage to vessels, and fish catches. Heather also mentioned the harmful amounts of microbeads, which Megan Leslie banned in Canada, in the oceans that are harming small ocean ecosystems. She explained that the effects of marine litter on the economy and ecosystems are extensive, however she noted that there is one place that we haven't check for the harmful effects of plastic. People! Plastics are made with harmful toxic chemicals and it only makes sense that people would be as negatively affected by plastic as our ecosystems and economies are. When asked if parents should be worried about the plastic toys parents buy their children Heather explained how when children put plastic toys in their mouths they are potentially being exposed to toxic flame retardants. Heather explained that our economy is linear, which means it destructively uses finite resources and creates waste. Heather believes that we must create circular economies that feed into each other which would allow us to reuse our resources and recycle our waste (Leslie, H. 2017, February, 2). The idea of a circular economy relates back to the “Green Economics” where

as others, but all are harmful. They vary due to the amount they contain of

The above is what Canadian industry produces but what is it that we produce, the goods and services. The largest category of goods is motor vehicles and parts which slightly bypassed energy products such as oil, bitumen and natural gas. The third product Canada produces is metals & minerals followed by consumer goods.

Draw upon market data which is available, to support your conclusions on “Market Structure” with in this industry sector.

Alberta is the largest producer of conventional crude oil, synthetic crude, natural gas and gas products in Canada. Alberta is the world’s second largest exporter of natural gas and the fourth largest producer. Two of the largest producers of petrochemicals in North America are located in central and north central Alberta. In both Red Deer and Edmonton, polyethylene and vinyl manufacturers produce products that are shipped all over the world. Edmonton's oil refineries provide the raw materials for a large petrochemical industry to the east of

Plastic bottles of singer-serving of water are a popular choice for Americans; however this choice comes at the price of climate change. The bottled water industry in the United States is contributing to the permanent changing climate (Glazner). Climate change is a serious concern because regular weather patterns have been disrupted causing drought and flooding which results in terrible consequences for those who live in the affected areas (Perello). American bottled water companies and the American public are responsible for contributing to climate change by the production, transportation and consumption of plastic water bottles (Glazner).

Australia Environmental problems- In Australia there’s several different factors that contribute to the economic downfall. Deforestation, and overfishing are two of the factors. Deforestation is default that affects so many areas around the world. 18 million acres of forest are lost each year because of deforestation.

Australia mostly imports products such as vehicles, machinery, oil, electrical components, pharmaceuticals, medical apparatus, gems and precious stones, plastics and furniture respectively because these products are cheaper to import than to produce domestically due to the high labour costs. Australia’s top 10 imports account for 64.7% of the nation’s total imports. Australia mainly exports crude oil and minerals in raw form because they do not have refineries and smelting plants mainly due to environmental issues. As a result, these go out in raw form and are imported as finish products. This is because natural resources are in great abundance in Australia. Products such as gold, coal and steel are exported to different countries so that they can use them in the manufacturing of certain products, which are then imported to Australia as finished products. Australia’s top 10 exports account for 77.7% of the nation’s total

Water use has become crucial for the many diversified Canadian industries that exist, thus sustaining its supply is essential. The most common industries include manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and hydroelectric power generation (NRT, 2011). Water use may range from a coolant, a solvent, a dispersant, and a source of hydroelectric energy. Direct surface freshwater withdrawal from sources like rivers and lakes was the source of 61.3% of manufacturers’ water supply (Industrial Water Use, 2009). Pulp and paper industries accounted for 49.8% while the primary metals industries accounted for 31.8% of the surface freshwater withdrawals. Additionally, chemical industries accounted for 8.4% and petroleum and coal industries accounted for 5.6%. Of the total hydroelectric power water intake, 92.1% originates from surface freshwater bodies. Of the total discharge 96.1% goes to surface freshwater bodies, most of which (84.5%) is not treated before discharge, which has detrimental effects on water quality (Industrial Water Use: Analysis , 2008). Thus the overwhelming consumption of freshwater stores and water quality deterioration occurring

“One of the biggest challenges facing the bottled water industry is how to respond to the environmental claims levelled against it” (Grocer). Every time someone throws a bottle away, they have taken up more space in a landfill for the next four hundred fifty to one thousand years. Besides the long decomposition rate, water bottles are the cause of several more environmental issues. Overfilling landfills, health hazards caused by refilling, and the economic stresses due to the constant and inconvenient repurchasing are just a few of the negatives water bottles have on us. These plastic pollutants are doing more harm to both the environment and their users than good.

Firstly, Upstream; which consists of oil exploration, extraction, shipping, and large-scale operations. Secondly, Downstream; which involves marketing, refining, development of modern technologies and retail operations. And finally, Chemical operations which includes the production of substances such as polyethylene, the most common plastic and polypropylene used for a range of things including underwear and rope .

Out of so many branches of courses in science and engineering, Chemical Engineering has caught my eye. I strongly believe that our world in the future needs more Chemical engineer due to its unsustainable development. Our world today has made many modern inventions which lead to a more comfortable life than what it was before. Skyscrapers, transportation, mobile phones and thousands of sophisticated machines were invented to make life worth living. However, most people neglect the downside which may occur due to those